Howard Lake vs Waverly Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Waverly Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Howard Lake. Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
Howard Lake and Waverly Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The readings are close: Howard Lake and Waverly Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Howard Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Waverly Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Howard Lake | Waverly Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4 ft | 6.9 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 57 µg/L | 29 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 21.2 µg/L | 8 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 39 ft | 70.5 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 745 acres | 494 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 17 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Waverly Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Howard Lake. Water clarity: 6.9 ft vs 4 ft. For fishing diversity, Waverly Lake also leads with 17 species.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.